


Keep The Home Fires Burning

by Bizarra



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Episode: s04e08 Year of Hell, Episode: s04e18-19 The Killing Game, F/M, Star Trek Timelines Did a Thing, Then My Brain Did A Thing, Timey-Wimey, this is the result
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:20:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24789139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bizarra/pseuds/Bizarra
Summary: Captain Miller finds himself out of time, and ends up comforting a woman who is nearly out of time.
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway, Kathryn Janeway & Captain Miller (Star Trek)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 70





	Keep The Home Fires Burning

**Author's Note:**

> So I was playing Star Trek Timelines and sent a crew out on a voyage. (If you play the game, you understand the reference) Well, as random luck would have it, among the crew happened to be Captain Miller and Year of Hell Janeway. My brain went... duuuude. 
> 
> Many people in the Corner said "WRITE IT!!!" So I did.
> 
> Thank you so much to Caladenia and to Trekflower for the great Betas. They helped make this much better. (and then, I went and futzed more, so... )
> 
> This one's for you guys. You know who you are. <3
> 
> ***a last name was never given for Katrine, so I gave her one. Same with Captain Miller. I gave him a first name.

A Year of Hell/Killing Game crossover. (I don’t know. Blame Star Trek: Timelines)

_Keep the home fires burning,_  
_While your hearts are yearning,_  
_Though your lads are far away_  
_They dream of home._  
_ Songwriters: Ivor Novello / Lena Guilbert Ford _

_Past, present, and future. They exist as one. They breathe together. — Annorax: Year of Hell_

Captain Miller had no idea where he was.

He had exited the strange room with the odd-looking Jerry at Katrine’s request. He’d shot at two others, which unfortunately allowed the one he was holding to get away. Something shifted and now things were different. Darker. The air seemed smokier; denser and smelled of burnt metal. This — hallway? — had seen heavy battle, months by the look of it. He turned to go back to the woman he’d just left, but she had disappeared. In fact, the whole place felt bereft of life. Where the hell was he? Where was Katrine?

Uneasy about his current position, Miller inched forward, stepping over debris. He heard talking and backed close to the wall. When no one appeared, he chanced edging toward the turn. Hugging the corner, he could hear them a bit clearer, but couldn’t understand their conversation. It quickly became obvious though, that one speaker was Katrine. He relaxed a little at the familiar sound; her voice had a timbre that was trying hard to make him forget his girl back home. 

When the other person faded away, he peeked around the wall. Katrine was now alone and fiddling with something on her waist. Wait… she was wearing black the last time he’d seen her. Now she had on a grey sleeveless top; her hair was much shorter. She slid down the wall, curled up and buried her head against her knees. Then her shoulders began to shake.

Now, Captain John Miller was a lot of things, but he wasn’t going to ignore a woman who was in distress.

He took in his surroundings, making sure there were no enemies near. Seeing none, he crept forward, not wanting to startle the crying woman. Her emotional state was a surprise. When he’d last left her, she was anything but upset. He holstered his pistol and crouched next to her. “Katrine?”

He spoke softly, but eased back when the woman jumped and looked up at him. An aching sadness mixed with disbelief, then joy flitted across her face. She uttered an unfamiliar word and launched herself into his arms. He hesitated, before gingerly closing the embrace. She stiffened and pulled away.

Her eyes raked over him, and she swallowed. She pushed the helmet up and it clattered to the floor. Her fingers traced his tattoo with a familiarity that quickened his heart. “You aren’t Chakotay.” She whispered in a voice husky with emotion. “Who… who are you?” 

“I’m Captain John Miller, Fifth Infantry.” He told her. “You aren’t Katrine duMont either?” He was now certain of that. This woman, whoever she was, looked exactly like Katrine. She’d clearly been fighting longer. She seemed older somehow, battle-hardened. There were burns on the side of her face, and she was dirty; as if she’d been crawling through muck for weeks.

She leaned back against the wall and shook her head. “I’m Kathryn Janeway.” He sat next to her as she spoke. “Captain of this,” she gestured widely, then exhaled. “It’s been a rough year.” She gave him a light smile, before looking down at her calloused and scarred hands. “Where did you come from?”

Miller shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t… know exactly. I was following a woman who looked very much like you through some tunnels.” He looked around, “we came upon this place. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. I had no idea the Germans had technology like this.”

“Germans?” She turned and considered him; really studied him this time with clear eyes. “You’re a soldier from Earth’s second world war.” Janeway rubbed her forehead. “I really hate time anomalies.” She wiped at her eyes.

He’d never heard of a female captain before, though Katrine sure acted like one. Was this woman also a freedom fighter? He observed the rubble they sat amongst. What kind of fight was she in? It appeared as though her side was losing. Did she have someone helping her like the people of La Coeur de Lion helped Katrine? He thought about the name she’d called him earlier. He must resemble the man because for an instant she’d been glad to see him. His curiosity finally won out. “Who is Chakotay?” His tongue tripped over the foreign name.

“He’s my First — “ She glanced back into his eyes, as if she were trying to see deep inside him, making him feel like he should be someone else. “He’s someone very dear to me.” Her hands went to a pocket watch, attached to her pants via the belt loops. A heavily scarred thumb caressed the round clock face. “He’s been missing for quite some time.” Janeway’s voice wavered on that admission.

“I’m sorry.” He turned slightly on his hip to face her. His eyes moved back down to the silver fob. “It’s a beautiful watch. Was it a gift from him?” She nodded and let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Her hand closed around the trinket, and he could see her throat shifting as she fought an emotion she was trying not to allow herself.

That too was a losing battle.

“He disobeyed my order.” Tears now fell, unbidden. “I don’t know right now whether or not I’m thankful he did.” Sadness preyed on her voice, deepening it. She dropped her head back against the wall behind her, “Dammit, why can’t I stop crying? I have too much to do.” Her free hand covered her face, then fisted against her forehead.

All Miller could think to do was give her the comfort she so obviously needed. He slid his right arm around her slim shoulders and gently tugged her against him, tucking her head beneath his chin. He cocooned his body tightly around hers as tears dampened his neck. “He must be quite a man,” he whispered, grinning a little at her nod against his chin.

“I never told him though,” she mumbled against his skin.

“I’m sure he knows.” Miller soothed her, “a fella doesn’t get his girl a gift like that without knowing how she feels.”

Her head lifted, and again she studied his face. “Do I look that much like him?” He asked.

“You even have the same crooked nose.” Her hands cupped his cheeks, “Who are you, Captain Miller?”

He shrugged, “I’m Navajo, I come from Arizona. I build furniture and I have a girl at home named Kai.” He smiled, “nothing remarkable.”

_Tuvok to Captain Janeway_

She huffed a slight laugh at him as she braced herself on the wall and used it to ease to a stand. “Oh, you’re a remarkable man indeed, Captain Miller.” She teetered on her feet, and he reached to steady her. She tapped her brooch and spoke, “Go ahead, Tuvok”

_Captain, another shock wave is approaching. Temporal shields are holding._

“Damn. All Hands brace for impact!” She braced herself and reached for Miller. “Hold on.”

He leaned against the wall, but squeezed their joined hands. “Is this some kind of ship?”

Janeway snickered, “you could say that, though, she’s not at her best right now.” 

There was a shuddering and a jolt. Miller tripped and the first thing he noticed was that the woman was gone. He stood quickly, then was dropped to his knees by severe pain on the back of his neck. Had he been shot? He reached back and tried to feel whatever had struck him. Suddenly, memories flooded in.

Chakotay rose and looked down at his clothing, then around him. Damn, Voyager was in bad shape. But not as bad as… He pivoted to where he remembered last seeing Kathryn. The disorientation made him stop and really take in his surroundings and Chakotay realized he was on deck three just outside his quarters. How the hell had he gotten here? His hand automatically went to his chest for the combadge, but it wasn’t there.

 _He’s someone very dear to me. He’s been missing for quite some time._

The ephemeral voice drifted through his thoughts and Chakotay glanced back at the bulkhead. Automatically, he lifted his hand and felt the collar of his army green t-shirt. It was damp. She’d been crying. Kathryn had been here. But not his Kathryn. That woman’s face was burned. How had that happened?

With a shake of his head to clear the jumbled thoughts, Chakotay pushed off the bulkhead. Whatever was happening, he needed to find the Captain — his Kathryn — and help get the ship back. Best way to do that was to round up his troops. He plopped the green helmet back onto his head and headed back to Sainte Claire.


End file.
